


Missed Chances And A Business Card

by fencecollapsed



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Holidays, Meet-Cute, Mild Sexual Content, Mutual Pining, Other Characters Are Mentioned, autistic paul, but in reverse, including Black Friday characters, this is just straight up a cheesy hallmark movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21896260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencecollapsed/pseuds/fencecollapsed
Summary: When Paul left the tiny town of Hatchetfield to visit family for the holidays, he expected some light family bonding, a nice break from the norm, and - inevitably - a bit of stress being in the city for the first time.He did not expect to bump into a familiar cute lil barista after not seeing her for over two years.
Relationships: Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Comments: 38
Kudos: 140





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> .....so I'm writing a short holiday fic that might just be a Hallmark movie in reverse

"You've left Hatchetfield maybe twice in your life, Paul, and never for the holidays.  _ Why  _ are you going to Alden this year, again?" Bill asked, leaning back at his desk.

"I have family in Alden. They invited me around for Christmas and I haven't seen them in a while, I just think I should go." Paul said, without turning away from his spreadsheet.

"I suppose that's fair. Alice'll be real disappointed, though. She was excited to see you this year."

Paul sighed. He'd put off telling Bill about his change of plans for this exact reason. They'd spent Christmas together every year since Bill's divorce - with neither having anywhere else to go - and Bill had been ecstatic to find out he'd finally have his daughter back for the holiday. If not a little ( _ extremely _ ) nervous. So maybe it was a bit of a dick move to ditch him now, and maybe Paul knew that, but maybe Paul also felt like doing his own thing sometimes. 

"I'll make it up to her." He thought for a minute, tapping a finger to his chin. "Next show at the Starlight when she's in town? My treat?"

Bill raised a brow. "Even if it's a musical?"

Paul bit back a grimace. "Even if it's a musical."  _ Please God don't let it be a musical. _

"I'll hold you to that." 

"I know you will." Paul closed the tabs on his computer, shut it off, and stood up, grabbing his winter coat from the back of his chair. "Okay guys, I'm heading out early. Gotta catch a bus tonight if I want to be in Alden by morning."

At her desk, Melissa covered the mouthpiece on her phone sheepishly and offered a hushed "Bye, Paul!"

"Bye, Melissa," Paul whispered back.

"Oh, have a lovely holiday, Paul!" Charlotte waved from her own desk.

"You too, Charlotte." He smiled at her and pulled on his coat. He paused by Bill's desk, patting his best friend on the shoulder. "Hey, it's gonna be a good one, man. You've got this."

Bill nodded. "Alright."

"Give Alice a hug for me, okay?"

"I will, I will." Bill looked up with a soft little smile and the tension in Paul's shoulders dropped in relief - he wasn't upset. "Go on and catch your bus."

Paul gave Bill's shoulder a little squeeze and headed for the door, leaving the office with one more polite wish of happy holidays.

\--

Alden was a city well east of Clivesdale. A place Paul had never been. A place Paul would quickly realize was big and loud and bustling -  _ far  _ bigger and louder than Hatchetfield, and certainly more bustling. He'd only taken two steps off the bus and he was already overwhelmed by the swarms in the streets.

People rushed in crowds shouting over each other to be heard, taxis honked in a strange sort of rhythm, dogs barked, more people shouted, a kid sped by on a skateboard followed close behind by a cloud of rowdy teens. 

Paul could feel his whole body start to pull in on itself. One hand clutched at his chest, the other squeezed tight around the handle of his suitcase. His heart pounded. Great, he'd been in Alden for two seconds and it had already pushed him over the edge.

_No, you're not going to panic yet. Everything's fine, you just have to adjust,_ he reminded himself. _Deep breaths._ _One in and one out._

"Okay. Okay, okay, okay," Paul muttered to himself, and he could feel his feet on the ground again.

Fully grounded, Paul wandered down the street, trying his best to follow the address his cousin had sent him. He was determined not to embarrass himself by getting lost - just because he'd grown up in Hatchetfield didn't mean he couldn't handle the city. He'd be just fine in Alden. Loud, chaotic, totally unfamiliar Alden.

_ Stop that. Be calm. _

He was so focused on staying grounded he forgot to pay attention to the people around him. He collided head-on with a woman walking the other direction, sending her papers flying and knocking her coffee out of her hand and all over her neat grey pantsuit.

"Hey!" The woman shouted. "Watch where you're going, jackass!"

Paul dropped right to his knees and began clumsily scrambling to pick up her things, too stunned to speak. The woman stood above him, aimlessly rubbing at the coffee stains on her blouse. 

"Fucking great, and I  _ just  _ had this dry-cleaned. Perfect day for a board meeting, too… god this is a nightmare." She glowered down at Paul, tapping her foot expectantly. "You're a real asshole, you know that? Are you even gonna apologize?"

His heart pounding with panic, Paul swept the rest of the loose papers into his arms and stood.

"I'm so sorry, Miss, I-"

They both froze when their eyes met.

Paul watched the anger slowly melt from her expression in real time. Something seemed to shine behind her eyes. Her warm, brown eyes, deep like a chasm that he could almost fall into. They were familiar - he knew those eyes. He knew the whole face, in fact, though he couldn't place from where. From her change in expression, she recognized him, too.

Paul stumbled backwards, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Okay, okay, um… I… you… Do I know you from somewhere?"

"You might," The woman narrowed her eyes, studying him intently.

Paul bristled at the strong eye contact. "Did you used to live in-"

"Hatchetfield." The woman stood up straight, having solved the puzzle. "Shit, what's your name?"

"...Paul?"

"Paul! That's it. I'm Emma. You frequented the coffee shop I used to work at. You always tipped but hated when we sang."

Paul's memory flashed to a pretty woman in a white blouse with a black bow around her neck, her soft brown hair tied up in a bun identical to the woman now standing in front of him. Those warm brown eyes that flashed when she smiled.

"Right! You're the cute Beanies barista!"

Emma smirked, a brow quirking up. "Cute?"

Paul's face flushed bright red and once again he was rendered unable to speak. His thumbs ran over the smooth pages in his hands, a compromise at the inability to reach his nails.

Emma gave a soft laugh from her nose. "I guess that's one reason to come to the same shitty place every day." She smiled downward, brushing a loose lock of hair behind her ear. 

Her eyes flicked up again and poor, clueless Paul, without a chance of remotely picking up on her tone, haphazardly shoved her papers into her hands and grabbed his suitcase from the sidewalk.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Emma. Sorry I spilled coffee on you."

Emma laughed. "Well, Paul, if you'd like to make it up to me sometime, there are plenty of not-shitty coffee shops around here. Give me a call, maybe I'll let you buy me something."

She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a business card between two fingers. She held it out, nodding expectantly when Paul's gaze turned questioning. He took the card, slowly, still uncertain if she was serious. When she grinned he felt his heart flutter, and when she shot him a wink he thought it might escape his chest.

"See you around, Paul." Emma waved, turned, and walked off.

"...Okay, bye." Paul stammered when she was certainly too far away to hear him. 

\--

Paul frantically rubbed his thumb over the nails of his free hand all the way to his cousin's apartment, still trying to process his exchange with Emma. The business card was in his coat pocket -  _ Emma Perkins, Greenway Growth Co., Executive Board Member.  _ There were two phone numbers, a work and an emergency (or personal) cell.

_ Why  _ had she given it to him?

Making his way up the apartment building's steps, Paul managed to swallow his bewilderment before knocking.

"Paul!" The shout came from inside before the door had even opened. He heard the running footsteps slam closer and suddenly standing before him was Allison Matthews, a wide grin on her face. " _ Fuck  _ you got tall!"

Paul cracked a smile. "Hi, Ally."

He held out his arms and Ally practically tackled him.

" _ Ugh,  _ it's so good to see you, cuz! Did you find your way okay? Didn't get too lost?"

She pulled him inside from the cold and yanked his suitcase out of his hands just to set it on the floor for him.

"I got here just fine, thanks." Paul brushed Ally's hands off him and she stepped back.

"Good, good. Hey, have you had breakfast yet? I'm starving, there's this great place just down the block."

Paul promptly stepped back outside. "Good thing I didn't take my boots off."

Ally clapped her hands happily and proceeded to drag Paul down the block. After breakfast she remained his cheerful tour guide, showing him her favorite parts all around the city. At one point they walked by the building for Greenway Growth, and Paul ran his thumb over the business card in his pocket.

\--

That evening, Ally left Paul alone in her apartment while she was at work. She'd shown him where her bar was, and he'd considered shadowing her for the night, but decided the discomfort of sitting in a strange house would be less than the inevitable overstimulation he'd experience at a bar in the city.

So Paul sat on the cute little sofa, not really paying attention to the cheesy Christmas movie on the TV, instead busied with turning Emma's business card over in his hand. A mantra of indecisiveness repeated in his head;  _ Call her or don't call her. Call her? Don't call her. _

_ Jesus. _

Fed up with himself, Paul did what he always did when he was stuck. He texted Melissa.

_ Call her!! Ur in the city for a week and a half, what's the worst that could happen? I say go for it. _

That settled it. If Melissa thought it was a good idea, it had to be. Paul dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"Uh, hello, can I speak to Emma Perkins, please?" Paul stammered.

"You called my cell, buddy, this is Emma."

"Right."  _ Shit.  _ "Sorry. This is Paul, from earlier? The asshole who bumped into you?"

He tacked an awkward laugh on the end of the sentence like punctuation.

"Oh yeah, I remember. My nice suit's at the dry cleaners again because of you." She ribbed, clearing her throat awkwardly when Paul's lime was silent. "What can I do for you, Paul?"

"Well, you said if I wanted to make it up to you, uh… I don't have much going on tomorrow. If you wanted to… Look, I'll be honest, I couldn't really tell if you were joking or not."

"I gave you my number, didn't I?"

"Business cards aren't typically flirty."

He heard Emma laugh from her nose. "How do you know I'm not flirting with everyone I give my card to? I've had some pretty hot clients."

"That doesn't sound very professional," Paul ribbed.

"Well, lucky for me you're not a client."

"So you  _ are _ flirting with me."

"Oh my god, Paul, do you want to get coffee with me or not?"

"I do!"

"Okay, good! I take my lunch at noon, come meet me at Espresso Lane just off Lincoln."

"Okay."

"Sounds like a date. I'll see you then."

Paul could hear Emma's smile through the phone. Or maybe he just hoped she was smiling. He certainly was. 

"Bye, Emma. See you at noon."

She hung up and Paul was left alone on the line with a stupid grin on his flushed face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul and Emma go on their date.

"You have a  _ date?" _ Ally shrieked the next morning.

"Apparently." Paul shrugged, fixing the collar of his shirt beneath his red sweater.

"Paul Matthews.  _ My  _ cousin-"

Paul rolled his eyes. "Okay,"

"-the same guy who puked at the  _ thought  _ of asking someone to his high school prom-"

"You can stop talking now-"

"-has a date after  _ one day  _ in Alden."

"Thank you for the summary, Ally!" 

"Who are they, and did they replace you with a flirty alien body-snatcher? Should I check the guest room for spores?"

Paul grimaced at the suggestion. Aliens freaked him out.

"That's enough, Ally." He warned. "She's just a woman I bumped into on the street, okay? She used to live in Hatchetfield and I had a bit of a thing for her. And if it's any comfort,  _ she  _ asked  _ me  _ out. I spilled coffee on her, I'm just as much a disaster as ever."

"Huh. Spill coffee on a chick and she asks you out, maybe  _ she's _ the alien."

"Stop talking about aliens!"

"Okay, okay!" Ally threw her hands up in surrender. "For real, good for you, dude. I hope it goes well and she doesn't turn out to be, like, super weird. Hell, if you hit it off you'll have a reason to visit more."

Ally shot him a pointed look and nudged his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

\--

At noon Paul found his way to Espresso Lane, a little coffee shop where hipsters wrote pretentious screenplays, and claimed a table by the corner window to wait for Emma. He stacked his balled fists on top of each other, tapping them together repeatedly while he waited.

This coffee shop was washed in dark browns and reds, dressed along the windows in festive lights. A decorative menorah sat at the front counter by the tip jar. It was cozy enough.

It wasn't long before the bell at the front jingled and in walked Emma, wearing a pretty green peacoat over her black pantsuit. Her hair was down today, hanging over one shoulder. She scanned the shop before spotting Paul and her eyes brightened. She made her way to his table. He stood to meet her and they headed to the counter together.

Paul dropped five bucks in the tip jar and quietly hoped Emma noticed.

"Black coffee and a flat white!" The barista called when their drinks were ready.

"You didn't actually have to pay for mine, you know." Emma said as they sat back down.

"I know," Paul said, although he did not know. "I'm just being a gentleman."

"Well, thank you. That's very sweet."

Paul watched Emma's eyes when she smiled. He admired the way they seemed to shine, and the little crinkle that formed in her nose.  _ Wow  _ she was cute.

"So, how have you been doing since you moved? That was, what, two years ago?" Paul asked.

"More or less," Emma nodded. "I'm doing pretty well. Got a good job and a nice apartment. Kind of the bare minimum, but hey, anything's better than Hatchetfield, right?"

"Mm, right." 

Emma faltered, realizing he didn't really agree. She wrapped her hands around her coffee cup. Paul moved on, though, oblivious as ever.

"You know, it's probably good you left when you did, actually. We were nearly hit by a meteor last year."

Emma choked on her coffee mid-sip. A bit dribbled out her nose and she pulled up her sleeve to wipe her mouth, grateful when Paul didn't say anything. She cleared her throat.

"You are fucking with me."

"I'm not! It barely missed the island, crashed into the water instead and poisoned all the fish. All the docks were closed off for months because a few people tried to swim out to look at it and got  _ really  _ sick."

Emma leaned across the table, officially invested.

"Well, that's certainly something big to miss," she remarked. "Biggest thing that's happened around here were the Black Friday riots, but that was all over the country, wasn't it? Thank God they were handled quick and those creepy-ass dolls were pulled off the shelves."

"You know, it's weird, I don't remember this Black Friday at all." Paul said.

"Nothing?"

"Nope." Paul knocked on the side of his head like his skull was hollow. "It's like I blacked out for the entire day. I heard Linda Monroe's been in the hospital ever since, but nobody knows what happened to her."

"The bitchy rich lady?"

"Yeah."

"Jesus, that's bleak. It sounds like Hatchetfield's pretty fucked right now. Good thing you got out of there, too."

"I'm only here for the holidays, actually, but yeah. I think a little break will be nice."

"Mm."

A moment of quiet passed. Paul looked down and Emma looked out the window, her eyes following a passing horse-drawn carriage on commission for the season. A little girl stood on her tiptoes, leaned as far out the side of the carriage as her anxious mother would allow. Emma smiled softly. Paul caught the sight when he looked up and immediately forgot what he was going to say.

Their eyes met again when Emma turned from the window and bristled a bit at his stare. Her cheeks tinted pink.

Paul blinked, snapping himself out of it.

"So, uh, I wanted to ask," he stammered, "Your card said Greenway Growth, right? What do you guys do, like, agriculture management?"

"Eh, I guess you could say that." Emma tipped her hand back and forth. "It's a medical marijuana company."

Paul blinked in slight shock. That was not the answer he was expecting. In the interest of not appearing rude or giving off the wrong idea, though, he quickly nodded. Maybe a little too quick.

"That's cool! My niece's girlfriend smokes pot."

"Weird connection."

"I know, it's all I had." A nervous laugh snuck its way into Paul's voice.

"Well, supply back to your town comes from us, so next time you see the girlfriend be sure to thank her for the business." 

Paul smiled downwards, fidgeting with his hands. How was this so hard but so easy at the same time?  _ Questions. Ask her more questions. _

"If you don't mind me asking, what got you into the marijuana business? Seems a big leap from being a barista."

"I was studying botany at the community college before I moved." Emma said with a little sigh. "I was planning on starting my own farm, but I ended up leaving before I finished my degree. Lucky me, though, Greenway had a job opening for a customer service consultant, I managed to nail the interview, and worked my way up to the executive board in a year and a half. Guess I've got a knack for business when all the customers are too stoned to get on my nerves."

"Sounds like Greenway's a pretty good place for you."

"Yeah." Emma nodded, her tone a little surprised as if she had only just realized herself. "I don't have to sing here, that's a definite perk."

"Definitely." Paul agreed.

Emma's eyes narrowed a bit. She clasped her hands together, index fingers pressed against her lips before pointing at Paul.

"You've got a whole deal about singing, don't you? What is it?" She pressed.

"Just  _ that _ kind of singing," Paul explained. "The weird, showtune-y, overly friendly kind of shit. It feels patronizing and you can tell nobody's really enjoying themselves when they do it. Reminds me of watching a musical, and I do not like musicals.

"Ah, okay. I always thought my voice just sucked."

Panic swept over Paul.

"What? No! You- I just- It wasn't- You have a great voice, Emma!"

"Woah, woah!" Emma pulled back in her chair a bit. "It's okay, Paul, I was kidding."

Paul froze. He took a breath and tried to swallow whatever kept making him slip up. "Oh. Sorry, I'm… I can't always tell."

Emma was silent, making a mental note. Paul rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry if I'm being weird, I'm not very good at this." He said.

Emma smiled, her hand drifting over the table just a little. An action considered and quickly retracted.

"You're doing great, Paul."

Now it was her turn to admire his smile.

\--

The next hour passed like a breeze. Paul and Emma bantered like old friends - it was like a mirror back through time to their casual chats back at Beanies. They didn't know each other then, either, but it felt like they were supposed to. 

"Oh, shit," Emma said suddenly, glancing at her phone. "My break's been over for fifteen minutes, I'd better get back."

"Oh, of course." Paul stood. "I'm sorry for keeping you."

"Don't apologize for a date going well, this is on both of us." Emma dismissed, pulling her bag over her shoulder. "If my boss has a problem he can shove it up his ass, it's not like this is a regular thing for me."

Paul laughed nervously. His fists were curled and tapping together again. Emma took a tiny step closer to him.

"I'm glad you called, this was nice. We'll have to do it again sometime. How long until you leave?"

"A little over a week."

Emma nodded. "I'll be in touch soon, then."

Glancing down, she set a hand on Paul's shoulder and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then hurried out the door before he could say anything. Paul stood in quiet shock, the tingle of her kiss spreading red over his face.

\--

Paul had two missed calls from CCRP. No one should have called him from the office unless something was wrong - in a mild panic Paul found his way to a bus stop bench and called back.

"CCRP Technical, this is Melissa."

"Mel? It's Paul, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, silly! I wanted to call to see how your date went! Wait, don't start yet I'm putting you on speaker." A beep shrilled through the receiver. "Okay, go!"

"Melissa! You can't freak me out like that, why didn't you just call from your cell?" 

"So Mr. Davidson thinks I'm working."

Paul huffed into the phone, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He loved Melissa like a sister, of course, but sometimes she could be so exhausting.

"Hi, Paul!" Charlotte called from somewhere in the office.

"Hi, Charlotte," Paul sighed. "Who all is listening?"

"Bill and Ted are here, too."

"Hello," Bill said.

And Ted; "Sup."

"Cool. Okay, okay." Paul began rubbing his thumb over his nails, his heel tapping rapidly against the asphalt.

"Paul, if you want to call back later-" Bill started.

"No, now's fine. What was this about again?"

"Your date with the cute businesswoman!" Melissa reminded.

Emma's smile lingered in Paul's mind, the shine of her eyes, the soft tingle of her quick kiss still upon his cheek. The tap of Paul's heel began to slow. Oh, Emma was something alright. He'd always thought so. He was drawn to her, and she to him it seemed, by something inexplicable. It was inevitable for them to keep meeting. Not that Paul was complaining of course, god no. Any excuse to be near her, especially after the years he'd spent assuming he would never see her again. This was his second chance, and he was going to take it.

Paul let out a sigh, realizing he hadn't actually answered yet.

"She's so great. It went great, guys."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO posted on Christmas Eve! I'm working on chapter three tonight, hoping to have it up tomorrow night but we will see.  
> Happy holidays and thanks for reading! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul gets nervous, but that's nothing new.

Paul trailed behind Ally with his hands in his pockets, studying their surroundings as they walked. City malls really went all-out for the holidays, apparently. They'd just passed an  _ enormous  _ Christmas tree at the floors center, so tall it reached up through the second floor. There were colorful lights strung up everywhere, elaborate decorative art pieces hung from the ceiling, and festive music blasted from every speaker. Never was Paul more grateful to not work in the service industry than around the holidays.

He bumped into Ally's back when she suddenly stopped.

"This way," Ally said, turning on her heel.

"What are we doing again?" Paul asked.

"We're looking for a gift for our lovely grandmother that will not result in her ripping my head off."

"Okay, but why am  _ I  _ here? I already have my gifts for everyone."

"Well, not everyone is as on top of shit as you are, Paul. Some of us are procrastinators." Ally turned in a circle as she spoke, swinging her foot out. "And in defense of those of us, we're not on as good of terms with Grams as you are."

Paul's eyes narrowed skeptically. "What did you say to her?"

Ally gasped and clutched at her heart like she'd been shot. She arched backwards dramatically, a hand draped over her forehead. Paul glanced around, wishing she would remember that they were in public.

"It's not always my fault!" She exclaimed finally. "And I'm wounded by the implication that it is." 

"So what happened then?" Paul rephrased.

"She doesn't like the bar thing. Got all on my case about it at Thanksgiving and, I don't know, I don't like people shitting on what I do. I bit back and now she's pissed at me. I'm trying to win my way back to her good graces with a gift, but you know Grams."

Paul nodded. "Very particular."

"Exactly. And that, my dear cousin, is why you are here. But also because you're my guest and we've barely hung out the five days you've been here. You keep ditching me to hang out with the weed girl."

"Emma," Paul corrected quietly. "But if you're looking for a gift for Grams we should probably find a fabric store."

Ally stopped again and swept over the store layout around them. It was all camping and outdoors and athletics related.

"Ugh, this fucking mall…" She groaned, spinning back around. "Let's find a directory, I swear I get lost here every time."

Paul found it by the nearest exit and pointed out the fabric store on the second floor. They perused the yarn section for just the right brand.

"How's that going, by the way?" Ally asked, examining a roll of pink wool. "You and Emma."

Paul grabbed the roll from her hands and dropped it back in the display.

"Not wool, too scratchy." He said. "I think it's going alright. I like her, she seems to like me, it's nice."

"She's gone on three dates with you in five days, if she doesn't like you she's playing a weird game."

"Good point."

Ally picked up a roll of soft, spotted green yarn. "What about this?"

"Stick to solid colors."

Ally rolled her eyes and dropped the yarn. They kept looking.

"Have you kissed her yet?"

Paul froze and shot a shocked glance at his cousin. She stared back expectantly.

"I think I missed the part where that was your business, Ally."

Emma had kissed him on the cheek twice. He had kissed hers once, but it was very awkward and he'd poked her eye with his nose so he wasn't sure if it counted.

"Just asking!" Ally held up her hands defensively. "You're only here for a few more days, Paul. If you don't seal the deal soon this thing's gonna fizzle out the second you leave the city."

"I like the pace we're at now." Paul shrugged. "Things will happen when they're meant to."

"If you say so. But if you miss your shot don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't."

Ally held up a third roll of yarn unquestioningly. This one was a solid colored, dark forest green. Paul ran his hand over the soft braided yarn and bent down to study the label. It was the right color, the right texture, and the right brand. Perfect for Grandma Matthews. Paul nodded his approval.

"Hell yea!" Ally pumped her fist. "So, while you're helping me, what did you get for Uncle Roger?"

"Oh, fuck that, you're on your own there."

\--

"I want to meet your cousin sometime, she sounds like someone I'd get along with." Emma remarked as she and Paul walked down the street that evening.

They'd met at the park for a walk that afternoon. She'd taken his hand while they were admiring the lights and she hadn't let go since.

"You probably would, and honestly the idea of you two together is very frightening." Paul said.

"She works at a bar, right? We could go there tomorrow night."

"That's Christmas Eve."

"So?" Before the conversation could go any further, Emma stopped in front of a small apartment complex. "Oh, it's this one."

Paul followed her through the lobby and up the stairs to her door.

"Thanks for inviting me over," he said, peeking inside as she slipped off her shoes.

"Yeah, man, come in." Emma pulled the door shut behind him. "We've been on four dates, I think it's about time I take you home."

The corner of her mouth quirked up and Paul's face flushed. He knelt down and busied himself with untying his boots, when a soft  _ mew  _ came from behind him. He turned to see a small tabby cat staring up at him curiously, its spotted tail twitching.

"Oh, hello!" He greeted, cautiously giving the cat a scratch behind the ears. "Emma, I didn't know you had a cat."

Emma knelt down to join them. "Oh yeah, that's Huck. I got him last year, he's my little brat."

"He's very pretty, oh, look at those spots," Paul remarked, pleased when Huck rubbed against his hand. 

"You can hold him if you want, he's really friendly." Emma stood back up to hang her coat on the rack by the door. "Make yourself at home, I've left dinner heating on the stove all day, I should check on it."

"Okay."

Emma didn't have to go far in a one-room apartment to get to the kitchen. While she checked on her crock pot, Paul scooped up Huck in his arms and carried him to the sofa where he sat down. It wasn't a lie, this cat was very friendly. Huck cozied up quickly in Paul's lap, purring softly when Paul scratched his little head.

"Oh, wow, he really likes you." Emma said, glancing from the stove. "I hope he knows he'll have to share."

Paul's face was somehow even redder suddenly. He breathed in to settle his nerves and caught a savory scent he hadn't noticed before.

"That smells  _ great, _ what is it?" He asked.

"It's this garlic chicken parmesan thing. One of the salesmen at work brought it to a staff potluck a few months ago and now I'm kind of obsessed with it. It was a nightmare getting him to hand over the recipe, but  _ fuck _ was it worth it."

"Well, I'm excited to try it."

"You better be. I do  _ not  _ like cooking, this is a very special occasion."

"...December 23rd?"

Emma snorted, but looked up and saw Paul was serious. God was he endearing, that sweet, genuine expression on his face. His bright, stunning blue eyes that creased with his smile. He smiled every time he looked at her. Emma couldn't wait to be on top of him, so long as he'd have her. She couldn't explain this pull she felt to him, but it just got stronger every time she looked at him.

She was a little too lost in him to remember what she'd meant, so instead she just nodded.

"December 23rd."

\--

Dinner meant more chatting. More bantering and joking, reminiscing about holidays in Hatchetfield, and, once they'd broken out the wine and got truly down to it, sharing. Real, trust-building, relationship-solidifying sharing.

It started by accident, but once you dig that deep with someone it's impossible to pull yourself back out again.

"I get the musical-hating thing, I do." Emma was saying. "Like yeah it can be fun in the moment, but what do you really  _ get  _ out of it, you know? Everyone forgets what happened the second they leave the theater, nothing sticks. No one  _ really  _ cares."

"Exactly!" Paul shouted, too excited and strangely relaxed to properly monitor his volume.

"You know, when I was in  _ Brigadoon _ in high school, the  _ only  _ person who ever said anything nice about my performance was my sister. Everyone else either tore me down or just didn't care enough to acknowledge I'd done anything at all. Jane was nice, though, Jane told me I did a good job."

"You have a sister?" Paul asked.

_ Oh. Right. _

Emma looked down, her mood instantly plummeting.

"Had."

"Oh." Paul consciously lowered his volume. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be, it's… I mean, I can't really say we were close." The quiet laugh in Emma's voice fairly oozed a sour regret. "It still sucked getting the news, though. Living it up thousands of miles away when the phone rings and - surprise! Your sister's fucking dead."

Paul tried to think of something to say. He had nothing.

Emma kept going.

"Moving here was actually the second time I left Hatchetfield, did I tell you that?" Paul shook his head. "Yeah. First time was right after high school. I got the fuck out of there as soon as I could and I stayed gone for ten years. I only came back because of Jane. After she died I moved back to try and connect with what was left of my family again. I wanted to get my feet on the ground and the only place I had roots was Hatchetfield. I guess I figured, if I couldn't be close to Jane when she was alive I could at least try to make her proud anyway. So I settled back in, found a job, enrolled in community college…" Emma laughed softly. "With my goal to start a pot farm."

"Did your sister smoke a lot of pot?" Paul asked.

"God no," Emma scoffed at the idea. "That's all me. But weed's the future, right? It'll be legal nationwide soon, bet you any money."

Paul laughed, but took notice when Emma's face remained somber. He reached a hand out across the table and let her take it.

"What made you leave again?"

"Well... my brother-in-law and his son are the only family I have left. I tried reaching out after the funeral, but Tom didn't seem to want anything to do with me. I don't know if it was the grief or something else, but... I don't know. I got tired of trying. On top of that my job fucking sucked and the only person I had any connection with was my kooky reclusive biology professor, I just didn't feel like there was any reason to stay. So as soon as I had enough savings I picked up and ditched Hatchetfield a second time."

"Wow."

"Yeah." Emma sighed. "I don't know, they say third time's the charm, but I don't think I'll go back again."

"I don't blame you," Paul shook his head. "If I'd gone through all of that, I probably wouldn't be leaving after Christmas."

"Why don't you leave? Hatchetfield fucking sucks in general, man, why do you  _ want  _ to stay?"

Paul just shrugged, unsure of what he was meant to say. Trying to defend Hatchetfield just seemed insensitive, and at this point he was honestly hard pressed to think of anything good to say about the island at all. Instead he settled for;

"I've never been anywhere else."

Emma raised a brow. "Well, you're in Alden now."

"I guess so."

"How does it compare?"

"It's… loud," Paul admitted, and Emma laughed. "But it's nice. You're here, that's definitely a plus."

Emma covered her blush with her hand, laughing again.

"Well, I guess I can say you're one good thing about Hatchetfield. Maybe if we'd gotten to know each other sooner I wouldn't have left again."

\--

After dinner, Paul sat on the sofa with Emma leaning snug against his side, his arm around her. Ally's warning echoed in his head, telling him this would be just a distant memory in a few days if he didn't do something. Of course he wanted to kiss Emma now,  _ god _ did he want to, but she looked so cozy and he couldn't bear to disturb her. So he let her be, with her head on his shoulder.

"This is nice, isn't it?" She asked suddenly. "These last few days have been really nice."

"Yeah." Paul nodded. 

"I always knew."

"Knew what?"

"When you came into Beanies all those times. I always knew it wasn't because you liked our shit coffee."

Nerves pounded In Paul's chest. He worried Emma could hear it.

"I-I wasn't stalking you, I swear," he stammered.

"Paul," Emma sat up to face him. "It's okay. I was into you, too."

His heartbeat was a kick drum. His face had to be completely scarlet.

"Y-you-"

"I think we both blew our chances back then. We missed out on something that could've been really good." Emma's hand traveled up Paul's arm and rested on his chest. "What I mean is, I'm glad it was you who bumped into me the other day."

Paul was frozen in place. He wanted to move, he wanted to respond, but Emma's hand was on his chest and he just couldn't. Her other hand moved very slowly to cup his cheek as she drifted closer.

"You look nervous." She murmured.

"I'm always nervous." Paul said.

Emma smiled. "I'll assume this is alright then?"

"Yeah." Paul nodded. "Please continue."

He was still frozen. He watched Emma drift closer, her palm caressing his cheek lightly, her eyes falling shut until after what felt like ages she finally kissed him. 

Her lips were soft and smooth, and she tasted like spearmint. Paul melted instantly, his hand finding a place on her waist while the other curled into her hair. Emma sighed at his touch and deepened the kiss. Her hand closed around the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. She kissed him like she knew him. Like she loved him.

"Paul," she murmured, eyes fluttering.

"Yeah?"

"Mm, nothing," she pushed a hand into his hair and gazed at him fondly. "I just wanted to say it."

Paul grinned. His voice was soft and low when he spoke. "Emma."

She made a little sound in the back of her throat and pulled him back to her. She felt his arms wrap around her waist, nerves officially expired. He pulled her into his lap and felt her smile against his lips.

They slipped into a rhythm easily. Hands tugged at collars and tangled into hair, kisses got messier, trailing across jawlines and nipping at necks. Emma's arms wrapped tight around Paul's neck and he let out a gasp as she ground against him. Her lips muted him, soft and tender, lulling him back into the rhythm before grinding again. This time he grunted into it, responding with his hips.

Emma pulled back enough to get a look at his face. His cheeks were totally flushed and his hair was mussed up from her hands. His eyes shone with infatuated stars, his lips reddened, parted in surprise at the attention they'd just gotten. He was excited in more ways than one, Emma could tell. She moved back in, drawing her hand down his cheek just to watch him press into it.

"You want to do this?" She crooned.

"Yes. Yeah, I do." Paul was breathless.

"Good," Emma kissed him again, long and sweet, before pulling back. "Then take me to bed."

Paul did as he was told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! <3  
> I hope everyone's having a lovely holiday!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul invites Emma to dinner with his family - things go about as well as you'd expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this chapter gets a little frisky, anyone not comfortable with that can just skip to the first story break, you won't miss anything important!
> 
> Also general warning for some casual implied ableism later on, nothing too direct but Paul's father is clueless and insensitive

Paul lay in Emma's bed with her head resting on his chest, his fingers combing softly through her hair. He'd never felt so at peace in his life. He'd never felt so  _ happy.  _ Emma nestled closer, sighing into his touch, and a comfortable warmth spread all throughout Paul. He pressed a kiss to the top of Emma's head.

Everything about this was entirely unprecedented. Five days ago - six actually, according to the alarm clock on the nightstand - he had bumped into a woman on the street. Now he was in her bed, still feeling the scratch marks she had left on his back. Things like this did not happen to regular, plain old Paul.

"I've never gone this fast with someone before." He said.

"Was it okay?" Emma asked, looking up.

"Of course it was! I didn't mean I regret it, not at all. This was amazing.  _ You're  _ amazing, Emma."

Emma traced her hand over Paul's chest. "Good. You are, too."

Paul laughed. "That's good to hear, I'm honestly surprised I didn't bore you."

"Bore me? Are you kidding? Paul, babe, you're… oh my  _ god." _ She dropped her head on his chest and let out a loud groan to illustrate her point.

Paul felt the heat rise in his cheeks yet again. Emma glanced back up and grinned - they could probably play a drinking game with how many times she made him blush. She pressed her hand to his chest and lifted herself so her face was barely an inch from his. She was ready to turn him scarlet.

"If I had my way," she crooned, "I'd be on top of you all night."

The hue of Paul's cheeks led Emma to believe she'd flustered him beyond words, but evidently he'd grown a little bolder tonight. He pulled her to him, kissing her hard, nipping at her bottom lip. Beneath the sheets his hand explored her bare torso and found its place on her breast. Emma's breath hitched.

"Be my guest." He said, voice low.

"Hm…" 

Emma grinned against him. Her hand travelled down his abdomen as his other drifted over her thigh. Without breaking eye contact she began stroking him slowly.

"Oh," Paul gasped, his hips twitching.

Very suddenly Emma pulled her hand away, earning a whimper.

"Emma,"

"Yes, Paul?"

Emma teased him, touching everywhere  _ but. _ She trailed chaste kisses over his collarbone. Paul's wandering hand explored between her thighs - if he kept that up she wouldn't be able to hold it together. She scraped her teeth over his neck and he groaned.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." Paul nodded. "God, Emma, I… I want-"

"What do you want?"

"You. I want you."

"Say please."

"Please, Emma," his fingers dug into her skin.

With a satisfied hum Emma flung the sheets back and straddled him. He groaned into her kiss as she began toying with him again, pressing his hand closer to her.

"Well, since you're so polite…"

\--

In the morning, Paul woke to soft golden light spilling over him through the tiny bedroom window and a contented warmth in his core. Shortly Emma joined him, reaching out with a sleepy groan to to silence the shrill beeping of her alarm before rolling over into his arms.

"Morning," she mumbled, nuzzling his cheek.

"Mm, morning," he kissed her forehead. "Happy Christmas Eve."

"Mhm,"

Emma tucked her head under Paul's chin, nestling closer. She lay in his arms until her alarm beeped again. With a resigned sigh she wriggled out of his grip and sat up to shut it off. Paul whined a little and sat up, too, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"You're going to make me late for work," Emma said with a smile as he kissed her neck.

She pushed him away gently, knowing if she let herself respond she'd end up staying in bed with him all morning. Paul let her get up, though his disappointment was clear. If only it wasn't Monday. 

"Hey, if you feed Huck for me you can walk me to the office." Emma offered.

"Deal."

Paul dragged himself out of bed to gather his clothes from the floor. At least, after admiring the view as Emma walked to the bathroom.

\--

It was a chilly and overcast morning. The forecast predicted snow by late noon - a guaranteed white Christmas. Emma led Paul by the arm down her work route, purposefully avoiding every shortcut. They'd stopped at a crosswalk a block from Greenway when Paul worked up the nerve to ask what he'd been wanting to.

"Do you have anything going on tonight, Emma?"

"Nope."

"Would you like to come to Christmas Eve dinner at my aunts' house?"

Emma sucked a breath in through her teeth. "I don't know, Paul, I haven't done a family Christmas thing since I was eighteen. I barely do Christmas in general."

"If you don't want to it's okay! I just thought I would ask, I know we aren't going to have much of a chance to hang out again before I leave."

Emma blinked, actually processing the reality of the time limit. Her grip on Paul's arm tightened just slightly as she considered the invitation again.

"Alright, I'll go," she decided, "but I reserve the right to bail if it gets too tense. I'm not interested in getting caught up in your family drama."

"That's fair." Paul nodded. "Ally and I can keep the peace, we'll mediate if we have to."

"Thank God."

"So I'll send you my cousin's address and we can head over together around five, does that sound okay?"

"Sounds good to me." Emma stopped in front of Greenway and grabbed both of Paul's hands, standing on her tiptoes to reach him better. "Now kiss me goodbye."

"Okay."

\--

Ally answered the door singing.

_ "One step, two steps, counting tiles on the floor. Three steps, four steps, guess this means that I'm a-  _ Paul! Welcome back!"

She gave him a shit-eating grin and Paul frowned.

"What's that you're singing, Ally?"

"Just an old P!nk song,"

"What's it called, Ally?"

She clicked her tongue and pointed finger guns at him. "Walk Of Shame."

"Hilarious, please don't sing to me ever again."

"Noted!"

"And don't do that in front of Emma, either! I invited her tonight and she's meeting everyone at once,  _ you  _ have to help me make it easier on her."

"Can do." Ally gave a mock salute.

"Okay. You want to go to that breakfast place? My treat?"

"Ooh," Ally prodded Paul playfully. "Someone's in a good mood!"

"Don't push it."

\--

"So how many people am I meeting tonight?" Emma asked, climbing into the backseat of Ally's car.

"Alright, excluding Paul and I…" Ally began counting on her fingers. "My brother Josh, our moms-"

"Aunt Steph and Aunt Erin," Paul cut in.

"Right. There's also my sister-in-law Kate and my nephews Lucas and Ryan, and our grandmother - we call her Grams, Emma you can call her Cecily. So that's… six."

"You forgot my dad."

"Uncle Roger can eat a dick."

Paul glanced back at Emma, who shot him a warning look.

"Get that out of your system now, Ally. You have to be civil, it's Christmas."

"It's not my fault your father's a jerk, Paul."

"One more."

"I hold a strong grudge towards my Uncle Roger, no offense to his son whom I love."

"Okay. Civil from here on out."

"Promise."

The promise was more for Emma's sake than anything else.

\--

The evening started out promising. Steph greeted the trio warmly at the door and Emma immediately seemed taken in by her motherly charm. Paul led her around the house introducing her to everyone, save for his father who had evidently neglected to arrive on time. He concluded at the corner of the parlor where one Cecily Matthews sat resting in her recliner.

"Hi, Grams," he greeted quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Is that my Paul?" Cecily looked up and smiled slowly. "Oh, sweetheart, how lovely to see you! It's been far too long."

"I know, it's good to see you, too." Paul kissed her cheek. "I've brought someone I'd like you to meet."

He stood and brought Emma forward by the shoulders. She held out a hand.

"Hello, Mrs. Matthews, I'm Emma. It's very nice to meet you."

Cecily perked up in an instant. She sat up and leaned forward, taking Emma's hand in both of her own. Not to shake, just to hold. She stared and studied Emma in silence. Her expression was unreadable and it made Emma sweat. Nothing was more nerve-wracking than being under the judgemental eye of a grandmother. Emma glanced at Paul, who simply shrugged. She was stuck between what to do to earn this woman's approval. Should she smile? Should she stare back with matching intensity? Should she be saying something? Emma was entirely lost, frozen by the tractor beam of Cecily's gaze.

Finally, though, Cecily gave Emma's hand a little pat and smiled, more with her kind, wise eyes than with her mouth.

"It's lovely to meet you, too, Emma." And then, softer, so the beanpole of a man standing a foot away couldn't hear; "You've caught a good one, my dear. Don't you let him go."

Cecily released Emma's hand and for a moment she felt lighter than air. Like an elder goddess had told her one of the secrets of the universe. 

She didn't have much time to process it, however, as the knock on the front door came in tandem with the announcement that dinner was ready.

"Allison, go let in your Uncle Roger." Erin said.

With a grumble Ally obliged and suddenly Paul's father stood in the doorway. Of everything Emma would have expected, Roger Matthews was about half. He was tall and buff, with dark brown hair and striking blue eyes the spitting image of his son's. Appearance-wise the resemblance was clear, it was his demeanor that threw Emma off. For the father of a man so tight and on guard, Roger stood remarkably open yet offensive - not prepared to take an attack, prepared to make one.

Something inside Emma suddenly understood why Ally didn't like this man.

\--

"I really am so glad you were all able to make it," Steph said. "It's been such a long time since we've all been together."

"Not since Dad passed," Erin said softly.

"Jonah would have loved this." Cecily smiled, glancing up at the ceiling.

"Paul, I think this is the first time I've seen you at all since the memorial." Josh said. "What was that, five years ago?"

"Yeah, I guess it has been a while," Paul tapped his fists sheepishly and pretended to be focused on the bread basket making its third go around the table.

"If I can just say, you seem happier. You've got this lighter energy around you, dude, it's good to see. And you've got a girlfriend now!"

"Yes!" Erin agreed, clapping her hands.

"Well,  _ girlfriend-" _ Emma began uncertainly.

"How long have you been together?" Kate asked.

"Emma's not really… honestly we're just testing things out for now," Paul said. "I knew her back home a while ago, but we only reconnected since I've been in Alden, it's-"

"We haven't put a label on it yet." Emma cut in.

"Right." Paul nodded. "But we have been intimate."

Emma choked on her water, covering her assuredly red face with her hand. At least the young boys were at a separate table in the kitchen.

"Good for you," Steph said, unphased. "A healthy sex life is a great thing to have."

"Takes a lot to finally get you out of ol' Shitsville, eh son?" Roger spoke suddenly.

"Yeah," Paul laughed softly.

"How's the city been treating you? I remember when you were little, Erin and I tried to take you off that island for a day and you had a total breakdown. Screamed your damn head off. It hasn't been like that, has it?"

Roger was ribbing, but Paul didn't seem all that amused. He bristled with discomfort and Emma placed a hand on his knee.

"You don't have to bring that up now, Roger, he was a child." Erin hissed.

"An unstable child," the laugh in his tone ran ice in Emma's blood.

"Well, I'm an adult now!" Paul said.

"He was fine once you took your hands off him and let him go home."

"Let's not do this tonight, we have a guest-" Ally tried.

"You can't cave with problem children, Erin, they grow up all screwy. I  _ tried  _ to tell his mother that, but she wouldn't listen, and he never stopped behaving that way."

"Behaving  _ what  _ way?" Emma asked, a bite in her tone.

"Like… you know, a fidgety, unstable wreck. He seems well-adjusted now, though, good for you, son."

Roger gave Paul a playful tap on the arm from across the table.

"Thanks."

"He doesn't still shut down whenever he doesn't want to be somewhere, does he? His mother used to let him get away with that all the time, I hope you don't put up with it, Emma."

Roger was the only one at the table who was amused.

"Will you quit talking about him like he's not sitting right here?" Emma snapped.

Paul grabbed her hand. "Emma, let's go."

"No, I don't like the way he's talking about you."

"It's fine. You said you didn't want to get involved in drama, let me take you home."

"See, you leave the second you get uncomfortable. That's not how life works, Paul, you can't just hide in Hatchetfield sucking your thumb forever. If you have a problem, sit your ass down and muscle through it yourself like a man."

"Dude, shut the fuck up!" Emma yelled.

Paul flinched back at the volume, but silence swept the table instantly after. Anyone who wasn't staring at Emma was staring at Roger, waiting to see how he would react. When he did his tone was measured and slow, like a warning.

"Excuse me?"

Paul squeezed Emma's hand. "Please, let's just go."

"I said shut the fuck up." Emma repeated. "With all due respect, Mr. Matthews, I don't know much about your relationship with Paul, but I dealt with my own bastard of a father all my life and I don't like how much you're reminding me of him right now. So if you want any chance of me ever being cool with you, I would suggest talking to my boyfriend like the fucking adult that he is."

"Boyfriend?"

At the head of the table, Cecily gave Emma a glance of approval. Everyone else settled in, ready to watch it go down. Plates of ham may as well have been bags of popcorn.

"I-I," Roger stammered. "I don't appreciate you coming into my family's home, a  _ stranger,  _ and speaking to me like this. You can't just-"

"Acknowledge what she said, Uncle Roger!" Ally smacked the table with her hands.

"Watch it, Allison." Erin warned.

"Look, I love my son! He's just had some issues in the past, but we can laugh about it now. That's all I'm doing, I'm teasing." He sounded almost like he was trying to convince himself. "Paul, come on, you know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do!"

"He's got a weird way of showing it," Emma muttered.

The table exploded. Paul sat, pulled into himself beneath the frenzy of shouts, refraining from covering his ears lest his behavior exacerbate things. His heel tapped rapidly against the carpet. Cecily caught his eye amidst the fray and simply gave a nod, and with permission from the family matriarch Paul quietly excused himself.

Once things had settled Emma found him sitting in the bathroom. She took his hands and pulled him up.

"Let's go. Ally already made an excuse."

\--

"Well, that was a disaster." Ally remarked once they were out of the driveway.

"Jesus, sorry about that. I didn't expect to get so defensive." Emma said.

"Don't sweat it, I can guarantee you said everything me and my mother have been wanting to say to him for ages. Aunt Norma's always been the one I liked, if she'd been able to make it this would've gone smoother, but  _ her  _ mom's in the hospital right now."

"Ugh, he just reminded me so much of my father."

"He's not your father, he's mine." Paul said. "He just likes to tease me, that's how he is."

"He called you a problem child to your face, Paul, you don't have to defend him."

"Maybe I was a problem child!"

"You weren't," Ally said.

"It doesn't matter, I don't think he meant it. I just wish you hadn't made a scene. We could have left."

Emma reached to the passenger's seat to give Paul's shoulder a squeeze. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just… didn't like the way he was talking about you."

Paul sighed. "Thank you. I did appreciate it, just wish me luck facing him again tomorrow." He turned a bit in his seat to take Emma's hand. "I did like you calling me your boyfriend, though."

"Oh god, I said we weren't labelling it but that just slipped out."

Paul laughed, breaking out of the discomfort of the evening. "We won't call it a label then."

He kissed the back of her hand. Emma slid her arm further past the seat and he followed, kissing up her sleeve. 

Ally rolled her eyes and pulled the car over.

"Oh my god, get in the back," she said. "I don't want Emma's arm to snap off when I drive us off a bridge."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO we're almost at the end! I had a hard time writing this chapter but I'm pretty satisfied with the result. Final chapter and epilogue will hopefully be finished by tomorrow!
> 
> Thank you for reading, feedback is appreciated! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Paul wants is a nice, peaceful Christmas.

Christmas morning began with Paul's phone vibrating on the bedside table. He sat up sleepily, groping around for it. He barely managed to catch the caller ID as he picked up.

"Hey, Bill," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"Not quite!" The bright voice of Bill's teenage daughter came through the receiver instead.

"Oh, Alice! Hi, how are you doing?"

"I'm good! It's Christmastime in Hatchetfield, that's always fun. What about you, how's your trip? You're lame for ditching this year."

"I know, I know. I already promised to make it up to you. It's nice, I've been staying with my cousin-"

"Dad told me you met a giiiiirl," Alice slipped into her impression of a gossipy valley girl. "Is she cool?"

"She's very cool."

"This whole thing sounds very cheesy rom-com of you, Paul. Are you head-over-heels? Is she coming home with you?"

"No, no, it's… it's too early to really tell. I think we're just going to be long-distance for a while, if we keep it going. I'd like you to meet her sometime, though, I think you'd like her. Deb would, too."

"I'll keep that in mind. It'll throw her for a loop, though, she's already convinced you're my other dad."

"Right, your other dad who you call by his first name." Paul laughed. "How is Deb, by the way?"

"She's alright, she's been kind of a downer since our friend Lex went MIA with her sister and her boyfriend, though."

"Oh, the Foster girls, right? I heard they ran off a few weeks ago."

Not long after Black Friday, if he recalled right, but given that he couldn't even recall that day at all he couldn't be sure.

"Yeah, they'd been planning to bail for a while." Alice said. "I'm glad they made it to California, we just miss them, you know?"

"Totally."

"Okay, I've held it up long enough, my dad wants to talk to you now. Merry Christmas, Paul!"

"Merry Christmas, Alice, I'll see you on Thursday."

Paul waited while Alice passed the phone to her father. He ran his hand down over his face and smacked himself to try and wake up a little more.

"Paul? Are you there?"

"Bill! Yes, hey. Sorry, I just woke up."

"Oh, good morning, then! Sorry for waking you."

"No, no, don't be. How's your holiday been?"

"Honestly, great! It's been so nice having Alice around again, and she seems really happy to be here. You were right, I really was worried for nothing."

"Good! I'm glad it's worked out. You deserve this, man."

"Thanks, Paul." Bill's smile was almost audible. "How's the old Matthews family?"

"Oh, they're the Matthews alright. You never know if it's gonna be peaceful or a disaster."

"Been there."

"Yep." Paul sighed. "Last night was a disaster, so I'm hoping for peace today. There has to be some balance, right?"

"I sure hope so. You deserve a good holiday too, Paul."

"Thanks."

"Of course. Well, I won't keep you, Alice and I just wanted to say hello."

"I appreciate it. I love you guys, I hope you have a good Christmas."

"We love you, too. Take care, Paul."

"You, too. I'll see you soon, Bill."

The call ended and Paul felt like his entire body had shed a heavy layer of stress. Few things cured holiday tension like a call from your best friend and your niece.

\--

The night before, Emma had - understandably - turned down a follow-up invitation before it had been offered, so with no incentive to include her in his plans, Paul simply sent her a good-morning text and left it at that. He figured it was all she would want, and felt vindicated when she responded with a little heart emoticon.

Ally made the executive decision to show up nice and late for the Christmas day gathering, and Paul felt no need to argue with her. He was heeding Bill's words - he deserved a good holiday. To Paul that meant as calm as possible, so he was in no hurry to return to the fray. Instead he prepared a sugary French toast breakfast in Ally's kitchen and they ate on the floor, watching schmaltzy TV Christmas movies until noon.

"I haven't thanked you for letting me stay here yet." Paul said.

"Ah, don't sweat it," Ally waved her hand, her mouth full of toast. "You've been my favorite cousin since I was tiny, you're basically a second brother. You're welcome any time. Just no sex in my guest bed, keep that at Emma's place."

"Wh-! I wouldn't!" Paul turned bright red.

Ally grinned. "Just checking."

"Funny." Paul gave her a light shove. "If you're ever in Hatchetfield give me a call and I'll return the favor."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that… how long do you think you'll stay in Hatchetfield after this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you and Emma last night, dude, that's definitely more than a fling. But from what you've told me there's like no chance of her ever going back there. The commute's pretty much guaranteed to be all you coming here. With your job that won't be very easy to maintain; one of you is going to have to move at some point."

"It's funny you bring that up, actually, because lately I've kind of been thinking that leaving Hatchetfield wouldn't be as hard as I always thought."

"Yeah?"

"I mean, I still like it there but I'm a little hard-pressed to think of  _ why.  _ My friends and my job, I guess, but I can always visit. I can always get a new job."

"That's true." Ally nodded. "And you  _ can't  _ get another happenstance romance."

"I sure can't."

\--

Nobody mentioned that Paul and Ally were late. They were greeted with the same warm reception from Steph, with no acknowledgement of the night before. Quietly bewildered, they left their gifts beneath the Christmas tree in the front room and headed for the parlor to join the others.

Erin chatted with Josh and Kate on the sofa while Lucas and Ryan raced shiny new toy cars on the carpet. Cecily sat in her recliner, observing.

Roger was nowhere to be seen.

"Paul, dear, come sit with your grandmother." Cecily called, gesturing to the seat closest to her recliner.

Paul glanced at Ally, not wanting to leave her alone, but they both knew he didn't really have a choice. When Cecily Matthews tells you to do something, you do it. So Paul took his seat.

"Let go of that knot in your shoulders, dear, your father isn't coming."

"What? Why?"

"I told him not to come back until he was ready to apologize to you. Your father's a proud man, Paul, if he was coming he would be here by now. I think he took a long overdue hit to the ego last night. That girl of yours really gave him the what-for."

Paul couldn't help laughing a little.

"Yeah, she did."

"I like that Emma."

Paul smiled down at his lap. "I'm glad. I like her, too."

"Oh, I can tell. You look at her the same way your grandfather used to look at me."

A wistful look crossed Cecily's eyes and Paul squeezed her hand. She leaned towards him, her soft gaze sparkling with unshared knowledge.

"You should see how she looks at you when you're not paying attention. I guarantee she likes you just the same, maybe even more."

Paul laughed softly, feeling a warmth rise beneath his skin. It wasn't embarrassment, though, it was a comfortable energy tingling all through him. His leg began to shake.

\--

The rest of the afternoon had Paul wondering if there had been some kind of agreement met after he'd left last night - Cecily was the only one who mentioned his father at all. Christmas carried on in peace just as he'd wished. 

Gifts were opened, Cecily seemed pleased with the yarn Ally had gotten her, which was a good sign. Paul preferred giving handmade and repurposed gifts - Christmas is a capitalistic holiday as it is, anything he could do to lessen that aspect while still being genuine. Melissa had helped him put together specialized woodburn decorations, and he'd wrapped up some old toys of Alice's that Bill was going to donate for the nephews. 

In the exchange, Paul received a lovely new scarf from his grandmother - "To replace the old one, which is so worn now, dear, just look at it," - a few special edition copies of the best arthouse films that had released this year from Steph, Erin, Josh and Kate respectively, and a CD from Ally of a bunch of classic film scores "because I know how to burn CDs and you're the only nerd I know who still uses them."

All in all, it was a perfectly lovely family holiday, and being up in spirits had Paul not worried at all when his mother called on the drive back.

"Is that Aunt Norma? Put her on speaker, I want to say hi." Ally said.

"I will, I will."

Paul accepted the call and set his phone on the car dashboard.

"Hi, Mom."

"Paul!" His mother exclaimed cheerfully. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart, oh I miss you! I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all, I'm just heading back with Ally. I miss you too, Mom. How are things at the hospital?"

"They're alright. A little dreary, I'm trying to keep the energy light."

"I bet you're doing great, Aunt Norma!" Ally said.

"Is that Ally? Hello, dear! How are your mothers?"

"They're good."

"Good. Now, Paul, I'm coming to Hatchetfield for New Years if it kills me, and I expect you to catch me up on everything I missed."

Paul and Ally exchanged looks.

"There's… kind of a lot to tell," Paul said, rubbing his neck.

"Trust me, I believe it. I had your dad on the phone this morning and he got all self-reflective on me, you wouldn't believe how jarring that was."

"What did he say?"

"Oh, he got into a whole spiel about when you were little, justifying his parenting tactics to me and kept asking if I thought he was a 'good father.'" Paul could hear the air quotes in her tone. "And you know what we've talked about, he and I butted heads with our parenting styles - he's always said I was too soft, I thought he was too hard on you. It's why you and I were always closest, you responded much more strongly to affection."

"And that's why people called me Momma's Boy Matthews," Paul said.

"Listen, sweetheart, everyone who called you that was just jealous that their mothers didn't love them."

Paul laughed.

"You were a sensitive kid! Your dad didn't know how to behave with a sensitive kid. He's been my husband for over thirty years, of course when he asks I'm not going to lie. Hopefully now he won't act all confused about why  _ I've  _ maintained a relationship with you and  _ he  _ only sees you on holidays."

"What all did he tell you about last night?"

"He said he wasn't ready to unpack it, but I assume it was a doozy. That's why I want to hear it from you in person. In the meantime, do me a favor, okay?"

"Shoot."

"Whatever it was, don't let it slide. Something happened that your dad feels bad about, and if you apologize to him, like you always do, it's just going to go away. Don't let it,  _ make  _ him come to you."

"Mom-"

"Paul. I'm asking you to not talk to someone, that's literally the easiest possible request."

Paul sighed. "Okay, Mom, I won't reach out."

"Thank you. Now, I  _ do  _ want to hear all about this girl you met."

Paul beamed, his leg starting to shake again at the thought of her. Now  _ that  _ was something he could manage.

\--

Paul spent the evening rounding up what he could of his things to pack up before the morning. One more night in Alden. He was hoping it would be restful, but he couldn't stop thinking about Emma.

She was all anyone had asked him about all week. How they'd met, the dates they'd been on, how it had all progressed so quickly. Not that he was complaining of course - she was all he wanted to talk about.

He'd missed her all day. He hadn't had much of a chance to reach out or text her, and she hadn't texted him either, which was fine, she had no obligation, but  _ god  _ that didn't stop him from wishing she was there. 

Even now, he wished she was there in his guest bed in spite of what he'd promised its owner. He just wanted to look at Emma. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to kiss her, and hold her, and touch her, and feel her one last time before he left.

God, it was going to kill him.

Paul made his decision. He threw the rest of his things in his suitcase and dragged it out to the living room, where Ally was eating leftover French toast on the sofa. She looked up and got what was happening before Paul even spoke.

"Alright, come here and hug me," she said, standing.

"Thanks again for letting me stay," Paul said, squeezing her tight. "It's been really good to see you."

"Anytime, cuz. Stay in touch, okay?"

"Of course."

Ally patted his back and let him go. "Now go get her."

Paul dragged his suitcase through the dark and the snow to Emma's apartment. He heard Huck's meow through the door when he knocked, and Emma answered in her pajamas.

"Paul? What are you doing here, don't you leave early tomorrow?"

Paul's heart was pounding, but Emma couldn't see that. All she saw was him, standing on her doormat, and suddenly she was in his arms. It took Emma exactly half a second to start kissing back. She pulled him inside and shut the door behind them, pinning him up against it and tugging at his sweater.

"Is this how you're saying goodbye?" She huffed.

"As long as it's okay with you,"

"Paul, I don't think I've ever been more okay with anything in my fucking life."

"Good."

Paul brought his hands down Emma's figure and effortlessly lifted her by the hips. She gasped a little, not expecting him to be so strong, but quickly hooked her legs around his waist. She buried her face in his neck, kissing him hard as he carried her to the bedroom.

\--

Wednesday morning had Paul up early and sneaking out of bed to shower before Emma woke. When he came out Emma was in the kitchen surrounded by the smell of fresh coffee.

"Like old times, huh?" She said, handing him a mug. "It's funny, I was going to stop by and say goodbye today. I have something for you, I would've given it to you last night, but I was a little too busy, y'know...  _ givin' it to you _ last night."

"Nice."

"Thank you." Emma laughed. It trailed off into a soft sigh, and she picked up a wrapped box sitting on the counter. "Anyway, here."

She pushed the box into Paul's hands.

"Oh, you didn't have to!" Paul turned the box over curiously. "I don't have anything for you, I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it, you didn't have a lot of time. Just consider it a payback gift for all the coffees you bought me."

"Okay. If you're sure, then, thank you."

Paul pulled back the wrapping on the box - it was a pair of bulky black headphones.

"Noise-cancelling," Emma spoke before he could. "They have Bluetooth, too. I know you get overwhelmed by a lot of noise, so when I saw them at the mall… They won't be very useful back in Hatchetfield, but I figured if you come back…"

She looked down self-consciously. Paul just beamed and hugged the box to his chest.

"I love them."

"Yeah?" Emma looked up.

"Yeah." Paul wrapped an arm around her shoulders and felt her nestle against him. "I  _ really  _ love them. Thank you, Emma."

Emma hummed softly and wrapped her arms around his middle. Paul kissed the top of her head. He caught a glimpse of the clock on her wall.

"It's 8:35, the bus to Hatchetfield leaves at 9:00." He said.

Emma pulled back. "Let me walk you there."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be late for work."

"Paul. If my boss has a problem he can shove it up his ass, I am walking you to your goddamn bus and I am saying goodbye."

Paul laughed, kissing Emma's cheek. "Okay then."

\--

Emma held Paul's hand so tight he was worried his bones might break. She walked pressed to his side, like she was soaking up as much closeness as she could before the inevitable. They stood at the bus stop while people piled on and Emma took both of Paul's hands. She switched between looking at him and looking at the sidewalk.

"This feels so rom-com cheesy," she said, a tiny laugh in her voice. "Like, the cheese is so strong I could vomit, but… god, I don't want you to go."

She dropped her head on his chest, laughing like it was funny, but really she just sounded sad.

"Emma," Paul brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I feel bad for not texting at all yesterday, but I just… ugh, I thought it would make me miss you more when you left. It didn't help, though, because I thought about you all day and I didn't even have anything going on to distract me, and I realized I'm going to miss you no matter what." Emma turned her face against Paul so her voice was muffled in his coat. "I'm not going to ask you to stay right now. I know that's not realistic, you have a job and a life and you only brought enough shit for a week…"

"Emma, hey…"

Paul pulled back and lifted her chin so she was facing him. A soft blush tinted her nose and she pressed into his palm. Her arms were still around him - it was like as long as she didn't let go of him he wouldn't get on the bus.

"I don't want to go, either. But I'm going to come back, and it'll be often, because I really don't think I'll be able to stay away from you very long."

Emma snorted and rolled her eyes. "Come on."

"I mean it! Emma, you…" Paul traced his hand down her cheek. "You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. Maybe ever. You said it yourself, we blew it last time and  _ this  _ was the second chance. I wouldn't care if you were still in Guatemala, I'm not blowing it again."

Emma smiled. The bus honked, calling for last minute boardings. Emma stepped back and let him out of her grip.

"Alright, I believe you." She said. "And I won't let you be late, go on, get on your bus."

Paul grabbed his suitcase. "I'll see you around, Emma."

He kissed her cheek and started towards the bus, but only made it a step or two before Emma grabbed his arm.

"Wait. First…" She pulled him back and wound her arms around his neck. "Kiss me like you're gonna miss me, Matthews."

So he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the epilogue half-written already, it will hopefully be up sometime tomorrow!  
> Thanks for reading! <3


	6. Epilogue - One Year Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into Paul and Emma's lives one year later.

Paul woke up to a moving pressure on his chest. He blinked hazily and started to sit up, before noticing the cat sitting on him, staring him right in the eyes.

He hadn't gotten used to that quite yet.

"Hi, Huck," he mumbled through a yawn, scratching behind the tabby's ears. Huck meowed. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Paul sat up slowly to let Huck crawl off the bed. He dragged himself out of bed and to the kitchen with the cat at his heels and filled up the food and water bowls. Huck sat down and started eating right away.

"There you go, bud. Merry Christmas."

Leaving Huck with his breakfast, Paul trudged back to bed.

"There you are," a half-asleep Emma mumbled into her pillow.

Paul brushed her hair back gently.

"Shh, go back to sleep. I never even left."

Emma pulled herself over the mattress and snuggled up to Paul as he climbed back under the sheets. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair.

He laid still to let Emma sleep longer until she stirred again. She looked up at him with a sleepy smile, bringing her hand up to his face.

"Morning, babe."

She kissed him softly, apparently not minding his morning breath.

"Morning, Em." He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Merry Christmas."

"Mhm. No company today, right?"

"Nope, we took care of all the social obligations already. It's just us."

Emma sighed with relief. "Fucking finally."

The days leading up to Christmas had consisted of visits from friends, work holiday parties, and parents dropping by all for the promise that the actual day would be just the two of them and the cat. It was all Emma had asked for, and Paul was nothing if not accommodating.

"No plans on Christmas, what a concept," Paul said. "If we wanted we could stay in bed all day."

He drew out his words in a low voice, drifting his hand up Emma's thigh. She shuddered and pressed closer. She toyed with the buttons on Paul's flannel pajama shirt but didn't undo them.

"Tempting," she said, "but later."

Paul nodded, moving on. "You want breakfast?"

"You should make that French toast everyone likes so much."

"Anything for you."

Paul kissed Emma's nose softly and got out of bed. She took a moment to stretch before getting up, too, scooping up Huck from the floor and carrying him to the sofa. She searched the floor for something that didn't seem to be there.

"Babe, where's the toy your parents brought for Huck?"

"The bell or the little swatter wand?" Paul asked, setting a pan on the stove.

"The bell."

"I hid it in the cabinet so he couldn't make a racket when we were trying to sleep."

"Smart."

Paul opened up a high cabinet in the kitchen and took out a little bell toy. He rang it once to get Huck's attention before tossing it, and the tabby went wild, scrambling off Emma's lap to follow it. Emma leaned forward to watch him bat the toy around. At one point he whacked it under the sofa and looked around aimlessly, clueless where it had gone. Emma laughed.

"Stupid little stinker," she said, retrieving the bell. She rang it, holding it just out of the cat's reach. "Oop! Not quite! Aaaalright…" she reared back and chucked the bell so it bounced off the wall. "Go get it, Fuck!"

Paul snickered from the kitchen. "Wait, oh my god Em, you didn't name him Huck just because it's a letter off from 'fuck,' did you?" 

"I mean. Maybe."

"Wow."

"Hey, it's too late to rethink being with me now! You're already on my lease, bitch!"

"Fair point." Paul shrugged, bringing out two plates to the sofa. "Looks like we're stuck together."

"Oh no, how unfortunate."

Paul held his arm up as he sat so Emma could lean against his side. He kissed her forehead and she reached up to return the affection.

"You think if anyone else had spilled coffee on you that day this would've been the outcome?" Paul asked.

"Oh, absolutely not." Emma scoffed. "You are a total anomaly, Paul, I promise you that. Consider yourself lucky."

"Trust me, I do every day."

"Fuckin' sap."

"Yep."

Paul nuzzled his cheek against Emma's and she reached to kiss him again.

"But I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too, Emma."

She nestled back in his arms, a familiar contentedness spreading through them. Second chances didn't come to many people, but Paul and Emma were glad they'd been smart enough to take theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! Thank you all so much for reading my silly little fic! Your comments and kudos have meant the world to me, I appreciate you all to no end! <333

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter should be up pretty soon, I'm not planning on this being very long


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